Dr Jane Henry

National Teaching Fellow 2008 Dr Jane Henry, Head of the Centre for Human Resources and Change Management at the Open University Business School, has a long history of teaching innovations and is perhaps best known for her pioneering work on Creative Management and the Creativity, Innovation and Change Masters programmes. Studied by over 10,000 students worldwide, these much-copied programmes offer a student-centred learning that combines creativity and change at the individual, team, organisational, and cross-cultural levels. Many participants find the programme transformational, often citing it as the best course they have done. One student commented: "Of all the courses I have done Creative Management is the most valuable. It will influence my thinking long into the future." Now in their 19th year, Jane's courses still receive higher ratings than others for interest and applicability in the workplace. Her innovations include combining non-cognitive routes to learning with the latest academic findings, tutor fairs which allow participants to select a tutor that meets their needs rather than being allocated, and considerable use of ICT and AV media and DVDs she designed herself. Jane's earlier teaching innovations include extensive studies of project-based learning, addressing how best to support discovery-based learning through assignments, print, multi-media and face-to-face teaching in open learning settings in various disciplines. Her work on low cost courses showing that low number courses could be cost-effective was influential for policy. A long time champion of student-centred learning, Jane has synthesised work from cognitive science and other disciplines to offer academically sound but practically useful and empowering courses students refer to years later. She carefully integrates assignments, activities, text and discussion forums to produce much praised learning designs and materials. Jane is certainly a popular teacher with an uncanny perception about how learning can engage individuals to empower themselves and others.